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Fire Fit Families

Fire Fit Families provides sessions on a portable fire and rescue-themed inflatable assault course. It is designed to encourage participants - from different age groups with different levels of physical and mental abilities - to be active, with an emphasis on fun.

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About the project

Earlier this year families brought children along to a National Lottery funded event at Springwell Park Children’s Centre, Liverpool. The Fire Fit Family Challenge event was aimed at providing youngsters with a fun activity while encouraging them to keep active. Mums and dads also joined the children on the assault course.

Karen Cox, Centre Manager at Springwell Park Children’s Centre, says: “We wanted something to do with family engagement that fitted in with our healthier living initiative. It was great to see the enjoyment on the children’s faces. It’s just nice to get families spending some time together and laughing but with the underlying message of keeping fit. We would consider using the assault course again without a doubt.”

Pauline Billington, Family Development Worker at Springwell Park Children’s Centre, adds: “It was great that it was held outside as it’s nice to get the children playing outdoors.”

Fire Fit is aiming to make Merseyside a safer, stronger and healthier community through a variety of sports activities.

Station Manager Gary Oakford, who is in charge of Fire Fit at Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, says: “The children really seemed to enjoy the Fire Fit assault course. It was fun event that was a great way of getting children involved in physical activity.”

Fire Fit Families has engaged with over 5,500 participants since launched in late July 2010.

Project manager Essie Li explains: “The participants are aged from anything up to 80 whilst the majority of them would usually have a minimum of four to over ten participations at each event. The number of minimum participations to date is over 2,2000.

“An accelerometer which measures physical movements suggested that per participation burns 20 to 35 calories therefore, Fire Fit Families have burned off at least 440,000 calories of the participants from the communities whilst many of them rarely physically active prior to their engagement with Fire Fit Families.”